Dried Orange Peel Benefits in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM)

I believe a lot of people have underestimated the healing effects of the dried orange peel (陈皮). Whenever I leave the house, I will always bring along some dried orange peel because it is one of the foods (snacks) that I have personally benefited a lot from it!

dried orange peel

In Asia countries, most people are familiar with dried orange peel as a snack, and rarely will people eat it for healing effect, most people just eat it as a snack.

The first time I learned about its effect is during my class at Singapore College of TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) when the professor shared that dried orange peel is excellent at harmonizing the qi flow in our stomach.

Ever since that class, I will carry some dried orange peel with me whenever I know that I will have my meals outside.

I am not sure if you have experienced this, but sometimes when I eat some oily food or drink some beverages that contain dairy, I will feel bloatedness in my stomach. This feeling is like my stomach has stopped digesting food and causes me to have no appetite for the next meal.

This is the time when the dried orange peel will have a miraculous effect on me. After I eat a few pieces of it, I will later give out a few burps then I will feel better and normal again. This is the reason why I always carry dried orange peel whenever I go.

Let’s get down to its effects!

The thermal nature of dried orange peel is warm. So this means people who are heaty should avoid eating it.

Dried orange peel benefits the spleen and lungs organ and it has the following properties:

Harmonize the qi flow in the spleen and stomach: Whenever you feel your stomach bloated (due to oily or dairy stuff you have eaten) or feeling uncomfortable that you might vomit because of a balancing issue caused by the environment (traveling on a boat, ferry, or traveling upwards/downwards on a mountain road), dried orange peel can help to soothe the qi in your stomach and relief the discomfort feeling for you.

Dissolve phlegm in the lungs: Dried orange peel can also help to dissolve phlegm in your lungs especially if the phlegm is caused by the cold food (that you eat) or the surrounding sudden change of the air temperature.

The daily dosage recommendation is 3 to 10g.

People Who Should Avoid Eating Dried Orange Peel

Most people will have no issue eating dried orange peel but do make sure that you don’t eat it every day. Also, avoid eating it if you are having a sore throat or fever.

Two Types of Dried Orange Peel

There are two types (forms) of dried orange peels.

The first type is those that you need to cook it. This kind of dried orange peel is best for cooking desserts like red bean soup.

dried orange peel
This is the kind that you need to cook it before eating.

The second type of dried orange peel is those that you can buy and eat as a snack.

dried orange peel snack
This is the kind of dried orange peel that you can just eat it without cooking.

Normally I will choose those skins that look darker because the darker it is, the better is the healing effect.

Most Convenient Way to Eat Dried Orange Peel

The most convenient way to eat dried orange peel is to buy those that come as a snack. Just make sure you choose those that have skins a bit darker rather than light. Click here for an example of how it looks like on Amazon.

Hope you find this post useful!

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